I'll soon be getting a new PC with a GeForce 7300 in it. The PSU is only 300 watts and so I was interested in getting suggestions for what better videocard I could run in this thing. Anything that's rated for 300 watts & will perform better then a 7300 should do..

PSUs are so cheap and easily replacable that you would be better replacing the PSU than trying to find one that can fit in under 300 W. In fact, 300 W is a bit low for anything running a decent video card. I would only put a 300 W in something with onboard video.

A colleague of mine just bought a new system which came equipped with a 1KW power supply. At peak, it can actually output 1000 W.

-AntonK

I would say that to be safe, you should have at leat 350W. I recently bought a new video card, and I only had a 300W PSU, so I spent about $50 on a nice quality 500W.

When it comes to power supplies, it's better to spend a little extra on a quality one, rather than risk using a lower power one. Because if a power supply blows out, it has the potential of taking all your components with it.

And honestly, I wouldn't choose a video card based on the power consumption, because you might soon need to upgrade both the PSU and video card to keep up with new technology.

I agree. As he said, spend 50 dollars on a good PSU then upgrade to your hearts content.

-AntonK

Anton, Rubiks,

Not to go way off on a tangent here but...

Despite my computer tech saviness in general, I have to admit that over the past few years, the graphics card race has almost got me befuddled. The nomenclature is confusing me to no end; once upon a time it was simple: more memory = better. Nowadays each manufacturer is using differing specs, and then there's the "overclocked" status, etc., etc..

Last year I stepped up my system pretty heavily [new Asus mobo, P4 CPU, DDR, nice Antec Sonata case, etc...] but the one thing I've yet to upgrade is my Graphics card. You 2 certainly seem to be up on it. I'm currently using a GeForce FX 5200. I'd say my heaviest tasking would be either some heavy Photoshop work, or a few hours of Counter Strike. So I ask you, what would be a considerable, but not exhorbitant upgrade?

I'd kindly appreciate your advice.


And yes, of course I'd ramp up the power supply from my 300.

TIA

The solution really is simple. Benchmarks and research. Go look at the sites that spend a lot of time and money benchmarking these cards and choose the one that best fits your wants and budget. It takes some time, but its worth it. I ended up with a GeForce 7900 GS and am quite happy with it.

-AntonK